New season – new reason to buy

International days, promotional days and holidays create great opportunities throughout the year. The ‘Occasion-based shopping’ survey conducted by the GfK (Society for Consumer Research) shows that 40 per cent of all purchases are related to an occasion.

As well as the big festive holidays such as Easter and Christmas, seasonal events such as Oktoberfest, barbecue season and spring cleaning all provide additional incentives to shop. Even informal occasions such as a girls’ night out, child’s birthday or movie night are events that retailers can capitalise on to promote specific products.

Limited editions create desire

Occasion-based and seasonally-themed displays offer huge sales potential to brand manufacturers and retailers. Additional themes that are celebrated online or feature heavily on social media can also be used to create a brand experience at the POS.

A recent example is ‘Unicorn Day’, for which Ritter Sport developed a limited edition unicorn chocolate; another is ‘International Sweatpants Day’, on which retailers lured hordes of shoppers into stores with an unconventional campaign. Limited editions and limited time promotions build desire and deliver more targeted footfall.

Martin Schlottmann, Director of Shopper Activation Solutions at the GfK, thinks that occasions that arise regularly throughout the year offer big potential as well. This could be family Sunday brunch, an evening get-together with friends, or a special moment for you. “All these occasions have an everyday quality; and most manufacturers and retailers are not yet fully aware of them, let alone planning effectively for them. As these occasions are celebrated year-round, they offer tremendous opportunity for creating multiple touchpoints with target groups,” explains Schlottmann.

Modular displays offer flexibility

Not every promotional campaign can be planned well ahead of time. Speed is essential for to implementing those themes that emerge at short notice – for instance, football draws – or other last-minute opportunities. ‘We have developed a wide range of display concepts based on pre-fabricated modules. Additional communication elements such as headers, attachments or side panels, can be customised on a just-in-time basis using digital printing,’ says Markus Weißgerber, Director of POS Innovation at STI Group.